Personal

Have you ever heard someone say, “At least it isn’t raining” just to hear some thunder and feel the first drops of a thunderstorm?

I’ve often questioned why people use the “It could always be worse” idea to help them feel better. In essence we are trying to feel better at the cost of others’ misfortunes.

And the nagging question keeps coming back to me – what if it already is the worst it can be? Taking it to its natural conclusion, when you actually hit the bottom, it gives you the sense that it is now okay to be angry and pessimistic.

The point I’m trying to make is that using the “It could always be worse” technique to help you feel better and more optimistic is flawed.

There IS a better way.

Although I completely admit to having used this technique before, it’s not the “Optimistic Tool” in my “Toolbox of Life” I reach for anymore if I can help it.

In light of recent events, one might find it easy to get discouraged. However, like every dark and gloomy cloud, there is a silver lining – a glimmer of hope.

Now before you discount this as wishing thinking, I must disclose that I am a self-proclaimed optimist and I have real world experience in this since I made my decision to be an optimist at the age of twelve.

That’s right, optimism is a choice.

I’m also a realist and I don’t ignore the real, hard facts of life.

The difference for me is that I choose to view those real, hard facts in a way that allows me to make a decision with optimism.

Okay, so with all the bad things that happen in the world, how can you be optimistic about your life or the human race? Stay tuned, as I will attempt to distill my years of experience as an optimist into a blog post series.

Question: What is optimism to you? I’ll give you my definition forthcoming, but until then please comment below.